Beaumont

Distributing food and water in three locations in the Golden Triangle, The Salvation Army served more than 1,800 families Tuesday, Sept. 5. This is in addition to the more than 5,000 meals served through its mobile kitchens working throughout the Golden Triangle.

With additional supplies scheduled to arrive Wednesday morning, a second day of distribution is scheduled for the afternoon. Starting at 1 p.m., The Salvation Army will provide boxes of food pre-packed to feed a family for several days, as well as cases of bottled water.

As water levels recede, residents are returning to their homes to assess the damage from Tropical Storm/Hurricane Harvey and begin remediation on their homes. Jefferson County wants everyone in the unincorporated areas of to follow a few simple guidelines when setting out debris for pick-up.

DRC, the debris removal company for the rural areas of the county, would like you to place debris out for pick-up on the county right of way as close to the road as possible.

Thursday, Aug. 31, at approximately 3:26 a.m., officers responded to the Travel Inn at 2690 I-10 E. in reference to a welfare check. Upon arrival, they located a woman with a gunshot wound to her head. The suspect was located shortly after police received the call. He was identified as Leroy Jackson, a 23-year-old Beaumont man. Jackson was arrested for murder and transported to Jefferson County Jail.

UPDATE: HEB, Kroger and Walmart on Dowlen Road were all open as of noon Thursday, Aug. 31.

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In accordance with H-E-B’s existing inclement weather protocol and limited accessibility to its stores, H-E-B stores in the Golden Triangle area will be closed Thursday, Aug. 31. In a press release, the grocer said it will aggressively work to re-open the stores as soon as possible and will update customers as soon as it can.

Due to loss of water pressure caused by Tropical Storm Harvey, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has required the City of Beaumont water system to issue a boil water notice for the city until further notice.

To ensure destruction of all harmful bacteria and other microbes, water for drinking, cooking and making ice should be boiled and cooled prior to use. The water should be brought to a vigorous, rolling boil for two minutes. In lieu of boiling, you may purchase bottled water or obtain water from some other suitable source.

A young man who lost control of his vehicle and then exited it while stopped on the interstate was killed when he was struck by another vehicle traveling eastbound on I-10 Aug. 26, reports the Beaumont Police Department (BPD).

Bevil Oaks and Northwest Forest are now under mandatory evacuation orders, according to County Judge Jeff Branick as of 11:15 a.m. on Monday, August 28.

Lamar University classes scheduled for Wednesday, August 30 have been canceled. This cancellation is in addition to those announced for Monday and Tuesday. The university hopes that classes can resume on Thursday, August 31.

Guests packed the Jefferson Theatre in Beaumont on Thursday, Aug. 17, to hear from a man vying to take the Senate seat of current incumbent and former presidential hopeful Republican Ted Cruz. Running on the Democratic ticket, Beto O’Rourke is fighting as the underdog in a race that has Cruz favored to return to the nation’s capital.

The Beaumont Police Department advised Aug. 24 that 211 is not currently accepting evacuation registration due to the close proximity of the storm and the estimated time it is to make landfall.

According to BPD, "Please do not call 211 to try and register for evacuation. The state will not accept registrations when a storm is less than 48 hours from potential landfall. At this time, we do not anticipate calling for a mandatory evacuation of our area. There are locations in Southeast Texas that are calling for a voluntary evacuation. We will continue to send out updates.

A Port Arthur man arrested during a warrant search at a gaming site at 2680 Washington Blvd. in Beaumont was indicted Aug. 23 for possession of a controlled substance after police allegedly found a rubber ball containing “liquid weed” inside the man’s jacket.

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